Safety device for throttles



W. W. SYKES.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR THROTTLES. APPLICATIONYFILED MAR. 26, 1921.

Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

IN VE N TOR ww. 6

ATTORNEYS UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAMWHI E SYKES, or SOUTHRICVHMOND, VIRGINIA;

To all to from it may concemi Be it known that I, WILLIAM WHITE SYKES, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of South Richmond, in the county 7 ofChesterfield and State of Virginia, have object being the provision of means whereby the operator will be notified when the pressure in the main reservoir of the air brakes falls below the required pressure for proper running. 1 I

My invention more particularly aims at the provision of means which will positively fication and wherein,

signal the operator of the locomotive or other moving device, both when the vehicle is'in motion and when it is stationary.

In the construction of the invention as I propose at the present time, an audible signal is sounded while the locomotive is in motion and the engineer is of course at hand and easily within hearing distance, and means are provided whereby the throttle leveris locked against opening movement in case the locomotive is stationary and the engineer absent from the cab. These, details may however be varied to some extent as I will hereinafter describe'in connection with the construction and operationv of the in:- vention shown invthe accompan ing, drawing, which latter forms a part 0 this speci- 7 Figure 1 is a sectional side view illustrating the practical. application of my invention i Fi 2 is a vertical sectional'view through certain parts thereof, and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view. Referring now to these figures I have shown portions of a locomotive cab at 10, the boiler being indicated at 11, the main reservoir at, 12, the steam dome at 13 and the throttle lever and throttle arm respectively at 14 and 15. This lever 14, pivoted at 16, has a pivotal connection intermediate its ends at 17, with one end of thethrottle arm 15 and has a latch mechanism 18 engage ing a notched quadrant 19 carried by the throttle arm, the latter being provided in accordancewith my invention, with a notched locking piece 20 secured thereon intermedi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application "filed March 26, 1921. Serial No. 455,888.

SAFETY DEVICE ron zrrrnorrnns.

' Patented oct. 4, 19 21.

ate its ends for movement therewith beneath a locking lever 21 having at one end a cross piece 22 which is movable with the lever downwardly into locking engagement with the piece 20 when the throttle lever 14 is in the closed position shown in'Fig. l, at which time the locking piece 20 ispositioned to receive the cross bar. I

The locking lever 21 is pivoted at 21* upon a bracket 23 which is rigidly supported in the cab 10 and which also supports a rigid upright piston 24 having an aperture 25 opening at one end through-the top of the piston and receiving at its opposite end one end of a pipe 26" connecting the same with the main reservoir 12. Over this piston 24 a vertically movable cylinder 27 tele-- scopes, the lower side portions of which are connected by depending links28 with the free end of the locking lever 21,v and the upper closed endof which cylinder has" an upright stem 29 supporting a piston valve 30.

This piston valve operates in the cylinder 31 rigidly carried upon an upright 32upstand-. ing from the bracket 23 and having a pipe 33 leading therefrom to a si al whistle 34.

In the normal position 0 the parts, the

cylinder 27 is held in its uppermost position by the air pressure from the main reservoir 12 through pipe 26, the piston'valve 30 at this time covering the inner. end of the whistle pipe 33, and lever 2l being held upwardly free ofengagement with the locking piece 20 as seen in Fig. 1. There also communi'cates with the piston valve cylinder 31 a steam pipe 35, leading from the boiler 11, 7 whose function is to supply steam pressure for sounding the whistle 34 when the piston valve30 has lowered to an extent sufficient to uncover the inner end of the whistle pipe 33.

Before this movement takes place 'however and'the'whistle is sounded it is necessary that the locking piece 20 be out of position belowthe locking member21. This occurs for'instance when the locomotive is 'running with the throttle open at least to some extent so that enough downward move? ment of the cylinder 27 is permitted to accomplish the openingofthe whistle pipe.

At this time, that is when the, locomotive is running, the engineer is of :course within his cab andwithin hearing distance of the whistle so thatv when the latter sounds the thereupon faced with the duty of locating "what trouble there 'is if any in order that the pressure may be built up Downward movement of: the cylinder 27 which is normally prevented by the pressure of the main reservoir in the space between the upper end of the cylinder and the upper end of the piston 24 is accomplished when this pressure falls, by a spring 36 coiled around a stem 37 projecting upwardly from the pistonvalve 30 and which is compressed between the upper end of this valve and. a spring adjusting member 38 threaded and vertically adjustable in abracket 38 upstanding fromthejpiston valve cylinder 31. The stem 37 is guided and movable through a van opening jin the saidv spring adjusting member38p i When the locomotive is-stationary and the throttle lever 14 is closed, thelocking piece 20 is positioned beneath-the locking lever '21 and if, When'the'parts are in this position, the pressure ofthe main reservoir falls below the safety: point," and a cylinder 27 drops accordingly, the locking lever'21 engages the locking piece 20 and serves to pre- I vent suflicientdownward movement of the piston valve to uncover the inner end of the whistle pipe 33. Itis quite obvious that if .the=whistle were soundediunder these cireums'tances it would be ineffective in the i event'theengineer is away from the locomotive and that an undesirable escape of steam from the'boilerwould result. Hence under the circumstances. last stated the parts move simply forthe'purpose of locking the throttle arm 15 so that when the .engineer returns 'to his cab and finds in attempting to'open the throttle-that the latter is locked, the fact; that the main reservoir 'pressureis below the safety point is conveyed to him in "-thisway.'

' The device proposed by 'my invention is tively inexpensive,

' i 1 thus adapted to effectively operateialong the intended lines and forthe intended'purposes and to accomplish theresultsgsought for, and is at the same time simple, comparawill take-up littlespace, and is lasting and durablef 1 It is of course to be understood that the parts, even when locked, may be readily shifted'to permit of operation of the throttle and that the locking of the latter is more in the nature of a signal or temporary lock than an actual orpermanent preventiveot operation Many situations may require movement of an engine in spite of theabsence "of proper brake applying-pressure.

Forin'st'ance, fire inthe roundhou'se or other danger tor a locomotive when standing may render its movementessential, and to faclli tate release of the throttle lever,the upright :32'may's'upport the fulcrum 40 of a r hand lever 41, one end of which is'pivotally connected at 42" to the stem 29 so that by manually depressing the free end of lever 41, the cylinder 27 may be raised, thus lift- I by the pressure inrthe said reservoir and including elements operable in conjunction with the throttle when the latter is closed and elements "operable independent of the throttlewhen the'latter is open.

' 2. The combination with a seltpropelled 1 vehicle havinga throttle and an air brake apparatus including a main reservoir, of signal means for mdicating a tallof pressure in the main reservoirbelow the safety point, said means beingnormally controlled by the pressur in'the'said reservolr and including elements operating mechanically to lock the throttlewhen the latter is closed and other elementsfo-r sounding an alarm when-the throttleisiopen. A v i. V 3. Thev combination with .a movable-yehicle having a throttle and an air brake apparatus including 'ja main reservoir, of a locking piece shiftable with the throttle and sure ofthe main reservoir and movable into locking engagement with the throttle, carried locking piece when" the pressure of the main reservoir falls below thesafety'point.

'a locking lever normallycontrolled by pres- T.

-i.'The "combination with :a movable ve- 1 hicle having a controlling throttleand 7 an air brake apparatus including a main'reservoir, automatically shiftable means normally controlled bythepressure of the main reservoir and "movable 'upon fall oi" said pressurebelowthe safety point into locking engagement with the throttle when the latter is in closed position, an audible'signal, and means controlled by said shifta'ble memlast named means being inactive when the throttle is in closed position. I y

5. The -combination with a movable vehicle having'a controllingthrottle and an air brake apparatus including, a -ma'inqresera?- voir, of an audible signal, means to sound the same, means to normally render the 81g? 'nalinactive including a member normally controlled by press'ur'e of the main reservoir,

a locking lever 'shiftable with said member,

andalocking piece movable with thefthrottle and'interposed in the path of movement of said locking lever when theithrottle is in closed position.

WILLIAM'WHITE her for sounding said audiblesignaLsaid J: 

